Louisiana State Parks sites have been featured in movie and television releases including "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Stay Alive," HBO's "True Blood," "Stuck in the Suburbs," "All the Kings' Men" and even on CBS' "The Amazing Race."

Louisiana's deep water ports

Did you know that Louisiana's five deep water ports handle more than 457 million tons of U.S. waterborne commerce a year?

Quality - Louisiana State Library85% of the users of the State Library indicated that the State Library's services and resources was a good value for the State.

$13.90 is the return on investment for every dollar spent by the Office of Tourism. Over 175,000 people were directly employed by the Louisiana travel and tourism industry in 2004. In terms of production, $5.9 billion (3.8%) of Louisiana's Gross State Product was directly attributable to expenditures by visitors to Louisiana

Every dollar in state support for the Arts leverages $7 in earned and contributed revenue. Louisiana's cultural enterprises provide nearly 144,000 jobs for Louisiana citizens, accounting for 7.6% of total employment. Arts has a total economic impact of $934 million in Louisiana.

Visitor spending at Louisiana State Parks returns $3.23 in state taxes for every dollar spend on operating and maintaining all our beautiful parks. Out-of-state visitors to Louisiana State Parks spent almost $12 million in Louisiana and produced an economic impact of over $24 million. Louisiana residents spent another $29.2 million while visiting the parks.

Thirteen Louisiana State Parks sites are on the National Register of Historic Places. They include: • Audubon State Historic Site• Centenary State Historic Site• Fort Pike State Historic Site• Fort Jesup State Historic Site• Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site• Mansfield State Historic Site• Marksville State Historic Site• Plaquemine Lock State Historic Site• Port Hudson State Historic Site• Poverty Point State Historic Site• Otis House at Fairview-Riverside State Park• Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site• Winter Quarters State Historic Site

Louisiana State Parks Visitation

Over two million people visited a Louisiana State Park last year.

Louisiana State Parks Grow and Renew

The Louisiana Office of State Parks has spent nearly $80 million in major construction projects since 2004, providing two brand-new parks and a new historic site, adding cabins and campsites to existing parks and building visitor center at one park, the preservation area and three historic sites.

Louisiana State Parks Wireless Internet

The Louisiana Office of State Parks provides free wireless internet access at all 20 recreational parks. Extensive coverage areas include most cabins, RV slips and campsites.

Louisiana State Parks Honors National Parks Service Senior Pass Program

Visitors who hold an America the Beautiful Senior or Access Pass, and whose home State Park system honor the America the Beautiful passes for camping discounts, are entitled to a 50% reduction on camping fees at Louisiana State Parks. Certain restrictions apply, see State Parks' fees & facilities page for more information.

Louisiana State Parks Draw Media Attention

Louisiana State Parks sites have been featured in movie and television releases including "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Stay Alive," HBO's "True Blood," "Stuck in the Suburbs," "All the Kings' Men" and even on CBS' "The Amazing Race."

Capitol Park Welcome Center

The main meeting room in the Capitol Park Welcome Center is named after Margaret Taylor, wife of U.S. President Zachary Taylor. The couple resided in a small house near the present day location of Capitol Park until Taylor was elected to the Presidency.

Report Guidelines for Phase II Assessment of Sites for the National Register of Historic Places

Introduction

Phase II investigation involves subsurface survey and archaeological testing of previously identified sites to determine their horizontal and vertical boundaries, their cultural and scientific importance, and their eligibility for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

All sites included in Phase II testing reports submitted to the Louisiana Division of Archaeology must have site numbers assigned by the Division. In the reports for Phase II projects, all sites must be assessed as "eligible" or "not eligible." An assessment of “eligibility undetermined” is not acceptable after the completion of a Phase II investigation.

The Division of Archaeology expects all investigators to present professional quality draft reports. Once the Division of Archaeology has reviewed the draft report, a comment letter will identify items that must be addressed in order for the report to be finalized, and those items that are suggestions for improving the final report. After the comments are addressed, a revised draft or final report should be submitted in a timely fashion.

Investigators submitting reports to the Division must provide two bound copies of all reports. For final reports, investigators must also provide an electronic copy of the report in “pdf” format. At least one paper copy of appendix materials must be submitted with a final report. The DOA is requesting that a GIS shapefile (.shp) and all accompanying data files (e.g., .sbn, .dbf, .prj, .sbx, and .shx) be submitted for all new and updated sites as well as surveyed areas whenever possible. This information can be obtained by the use of hand held Global Position System (GPS) receivers. Currently, all the SHPO GIS data is projected in NAD_1983_UTM_Zone_15N.

At a minimum, reports for Phase II Cultural Resource Reports should contain:

Front Matter

Report Cover - Include the title of the report (with the phrase “Phase II” included), the lead federal or state agency involved, as well as any other client, the contractor performing the work, the word "Draft" or “Final”, and the date (month and year) of the report.

Title page - Include the title of the report (with the phase “Phase II included), the author(s), the date written (month and year), the contracting firm, the lead federal or state agency along with their addresses, and the agency contract/permit number, where applicable.

Abstract - One page maximum. Include a brief summary of the project and project area, its size (acres/hectares), and the parish or parishes where the work was done. Summarize the results and the National Register eligibility determination for each site investigated. Succinctly state any recommendations for additional work.

Table of Contents - Headings should duplicate verbatim those found in the text. The Table of Contents should use leader tabs (e.g.,……..) between the heading and page number. All appendix materials should be listed in the Table of Contents.

List of Figures - Duplicate verbatim the first sentence of the captions of each figure in the text. The List of Figures should use leader tabs between the figure caption and page number.

List of Tables - Duplicate verbatim the title of each table in the text. The List of Table should use leader tabs between the table title and page number.

Preface or Acknowledgments - Include the names of the Principal Investigator and other archaeological personnel, and the funding and/or sponsoring agency. If the contracted firm is listed as the author, describe here the individual authors and their relative contributions.

Pagination - The pagination for the front matter must be in lower case Roman numerals.

Report Body (In Chapter Format)

Pagination - The pages for all final reports must be consecutively numbered in Arabic numerals. Pagination by chapter numbers (e.g. , 1-2, 3-5, 7-35 etc.) is acceptable for draft reports.

Introduction - Outline the scope of work, including the project description and general description of the project’s history, the agencies involved, the project setting and boundaries, the purpose of the archaeological investigations, etc. List the staff and dates of investigation. Provide a detail of a 7.5’ USGS topographic quadrangle map showing the location of the site[s] being tested with a state inset map showing the location of the project within the state of Louisiana. All maps should include a scale, north arrow, and legend. Wherever applicable, provide a legal description of the project area that includes Township, Range, and Section. Also, provide a synopsis of the organization of the report. It is not necessary to summarize the results of the project in the introduction.

Environmental Setting - Limit the discussion to the geomorphology, soils, and other ecological information relevant to the development of the research design and/or the understanding of the site(s) being investigated. Do not include an extended discussion of environmental features unless it is relevant to the discussion and interpretation of the project results.

Culture History - Present a brief summary of the appropriate history and prehistory of Louisiana based on archaeological and documentary records for the site or sites being assessed. The purpose of the summary is to provide a framework for the analyses of the archaeological remains recovered during a Phase II project. Charts, tables, or figures should be used to present the culture history relevant to the Phase II investigations.

Previous Investigations - Summarize all previous investigations relevant to the site or sites being assessed for National Register eligibility. This should include all Phase I or other reports that have investigated a particular site. Investigators may also include information about other sites in Louisiana or the region that provide a context for the site or sites being tested.

Research Design- Phase II projects should include a research design that addresses particular archaeological problems based, in part, on the State of Louisiana's Comprehensive Archaeological Plan (LCAP) (Smith et al. 1983). Relevant research "themes" outlined in the LCAP may be referred to, but should not limit additional elements for a research design.

Field Methods- Describe the archaeological field methods used within the project area. Please write in a manner that will allow reviewers and future researchers to reconstruct field procedures, determine why they were used, and understand what was observed. Summarize the techniques employed during the testing. The summary should describe the reasons for the placement of test units or other excavations at a site and the techniques employed during their excavation. Describe the size of test units, whether the material was screened or not, and through what size screens. Also, briefly describe the techniques used to analyze artifacts, as well as a brief description of artifact types. If applicable, discuss the criteria used for excluding certain artifact types (e.g., brick fragments, concrete slabs, wooden planks) from a collection. Also, include information on the procedures for collecting special samples within a project area such as flotation, C14, pollen, etc. If investigators encounter conditions that lead to deviations from the Phase II field standards, this must be explained in the report. Please include any correspondence between the investigators, agencies, and the Division of Archaeology concerning deviations from the standards in a report appendix.

Curation - Include a statement that designates which federally or state approved curation facility will be curating any recovered artifacts, field notes, and other relevant materials. If recovered artifacts are requested by landowners, this must be noted in the report. Please see our Curation Standards for more information.

Results - Phase II reports must include a map of each archaeological site showing topographical features, existing cultural features (e.g., structures, roads, ditches), the locations of all archaeological investigations such as additional shovel testing, test units, surface collection areas, auger testing or soil probes, remote sensing, and large-scale block excavations. If the additional shovel testing is extensive, representative shovel test profiles may be provided in the report. Present a description of each recorded feature within the report. All maps must have a scale, north arrow, and legend.

Profiles and Plan Views of Excavations- Representative profiles and plan views of test units and other excavations should be photographed and/or illustrated in the report. These photographs and/or illustrations should show the locations of cultural features and/or artifacts within the profiles or plan views. Use Munsell soil color designations to standardize the descriptions of the soils and provide general information about the soil matrices themselves (e.g., the sand, silt, clay, or loam nature of the soils). Use a scale in all illustrations. Captions for all illustrations must clearly identify the provenience of the illustration.

Artifacts- The recovery of artifacts from identifiable contexts is the desirable result of Phase II investigations. Artifact analyses must clearly describe the methods and definitions used; typological identifications and chronological interpretations should be supported by appropriate citations. Photographs and/or illustrations of representative diagnostic artifacts must be included in the report.

Other Archaeological Materials- Phase II investigations may recover subsistence remains, radiocarbon samples, phytoliths, pollen or other specialized samples. This material should be thoroughly described according to recognized professional techniques and their implications for the site’s research possibilities duly noted in the report. The provenience and nature of radiocarbon samples, especially, should be well documented in a Phase II report.

Tables- If Phase II investigations produce a large amount of artifacts and other material from a variety of proveniences, then tables are the best format to present this data. Tables are required for each excavation at a site if artifacts come from more than two proveniences. The font size for tables in reports should not be any smaller than eight points (Eight/8 points) and the cells within tables must be outlined. As suggested by the SAA style guide, a table with more than 10 columns is best presented in “landscape” fashion in a report.

Summary and Recommendations - Succinctly summarize the results of Phase II research on each site investigated and provide appropriate archaeological interpretations based on the data obtained. The summary should also clearly state if a site is eligible or not eligible for the National Register and under which criterion. A designation of “eligibility undetermined” is not acceptable for Phase II investigations. If a site is recommended as eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, relate this eligibility to the appropriate theme(s) presented in the Louisiana Comprehensive Archaeological Plan. Clearly explain the possible effect a proposed project will have on the investigated site and make recommendations for additional work. Include management recommendations relative to ground-disturbing activities and the preservation or the mitigation on archaeological resources.

Site Update Forms - Reports submitted to the Division as final cannot be accepted until all relevant site forms have been accepted. Site descriptions in reports should be consistent with information presented on site forms submitted to the Division. Please see our Site Forms page for more information.

A list of references cited should follow the summary chapter of the report. The citations of other CRM reports, whether for projects in Louisiana or other states, should also follow SAA format, but also include information about the agency or company for whom the project was done. Also, include the name of the cultural resources contractor or individual that conducted the investigation.

Appendices - Information such as project artifact inventories, radiocarbon analysis forms, correspondence, etc. may be included as a report appendix if they are cited in the body of the report. If artifacts recovered during a project are returned to a property owner or owners, any correspondence or other related documents must be included in an appendix. Site forms must not be included as an appendix to a report.